Groomers’ frequently asked questions, answered by the experts

Thinking of Getting into Grooming…

Grooming experts, Heidi Anderton and Joanne Angus highlight some of the most frequently asked questions put to them by groomers and share their answers.

Joanne Angus Chair of the Committee with Groom Team England, Director of Summit Groomer Training Group and Look North Grooming and Training Centre has been a major player in the grooming industry for over 30 years and was the recipient of the Industry awarded Liz Paul Lifetime Achievement Award at The Grooming Conference in November 21.

Joanne shares the most frequent questions asked during training:

Q. How do I know if I’ll be good enough?

A. The only way to find out is to do it! I highly recommend a visit to a potential training school in an effort to get some hands on experience, even if it’s a couple of hours, before committing to a full training course. Your tutor should give you constructive honest feedback throughout your training and teach you to develop your skills in a manner that suits your learning style.

Q. What if a dog doesn’t behave?

A. Not all dogs stand still to be groomed and some are positively uncomfortable with the process. Study and learn how to read the subtle signals a dog is giving you through its behaviour and body language. Heavily restraining a dog is not necessarily the answer. Unfortunately it is part of the job that you may occasionally be snapped at but learn to read the dog and handle it sympathetically to build a bond for grooming.

Joanne Angus

Q. I’ll never be quick enough, how can I increase my speed?

A. Routine and method are the way to increase your timing. Always stick to a pattern of work e.g. complete your clipper work, blend, start at the feet trim the legs on one side then the other and finish with tail and head. This way you’ll not only be able to increase your time but will know exactly where you have got to if you have to break off for any reason. Don’t be in a rush to trim too many dogs in one day, which is when accidents happen. Two dogs a day is enough for a new groomer to cope with.

Q. Where do I get all my equipment from?

A. There are many grooming suppliers and each training school probably have their personal favourites that they will recommend. Most suppliers offer student rates or starter kits for learner groomers. Don’t be afraid to ask! Alternatively, there can be items offered on sale through social media selling sites. Always check the authenticity and quality of a product before you buy. Good equipment is not cheap but buying quality should ensure its longevity.

Visit looknorth.net for more information on their courses.

Heidi Anderton is principal of Absolutely Animals and London School of Pet Grooming, with over 30 years in the business, she is a highly qualified and experienced industry expert as well as an awardwinning groomer, former Groom Team England member and founder member of the British Isles Grooming Association(BIGA). Heidi shares questions and answers most commonly posed from someone looking for a grooming course:

Q: What is dog grooming like?

A: Dog grooming is a continual learning experience. Dogs are funny, loving, and Quirky. They all have their own characters, dispositions, histories, health, and behavioural tendencies as well as their independent owners making them a very complex but interesting pet to groom.

When dog grooming you need to keep an open mind and an open heart. No dog is the same and they all require individual care which makes every groom different, a continual learning experience and an interesting job.

Q: What will the future bring me if I complete a dog grooming course?

A: In today’s day and age, dog grooming is a career rather than a hobby. Once you have learned the basics skills of dog grooming you can go on to pursue specialist areas such as the techniques of scissoring or hand stripping. Or you may go down the behaviourist road in dog grooming, working with dogs which are very sensitive to noise or touch and require more time spent on them. Others choose the competition field to show off their artistic flair and knowledge of the breed standards to spectators and other competitors with the high level of finish that they can achieve.

Heidi Anderton

Q: Where can I offer dog grooming to my new clients?

A: Some groomers work from a van, some from home and others in a shop. You may groom a couple of dogs a week and that’s all they want to do. Others will groom a couple of dogs a day. If you dream big you may want to have a fleet of vans or a shop or two where you may employ staff to meet the high volume of pets you receive. This is becoming more common as people transition from other industries.

Q: What do I need to learn?

A: There is a vast amount of knowledge to learn. Formal course content will teach you all the basics that you need to start out in pet grooming. Breed recognition, first aid, legislations, basic dog behaviour, health and safety, equipment and how to use, store and maintain it are some of the areas covered as well as clipping and scissoring patterns and much more. For me the main areas to learn are the safety and wellbeing of the dogs during grooming and the safe use of tools. It is essential to learn this on a dog grooming course.

Q: Can I complete refresher days as a practicing dog groomer?

A: All dog groomers need to continue their professional development. This is so important as trends change. Equipment improves and so do techniques, this can take time off

your grooms, make the grooming easier for the dogs and the long-term health implications for the groomer, so it is imperative to continually update skills. Everything that makes the process easier for the dog and the groomers are essential to put in place.

Q: Can I fast track if I’m already a practising dog groomer?

A: There are fast track options available for practising dog groomers. I asked the groomer to send me before and after pictures of their clip and scissor work. I can usually tell from a picture where the groomer needs to improve, but there is only so much information you can gain from a picture, so an assessment day is really helpful to gain a complete overview to plan forward and is hugely beneficial for the groomer to selfevaluate.

Q: Do you teach cat grooming?

A: We can groom 30 cats a week in our grooming salon. We have been teaching cat grooming for a considerable amount of time now, but recently have become an iPET Network Centre offering the formal iPET Cat Grooming Qualifications which sit on the national qualification framework.

Our first course is in May 2022. These are fantastic courses as cat grooming is a great addition for dog groomers as well as a niche area for exclusive cat groomers. I am passionate about cat grooming as there aren’t enough cat groomers out there and generally cats are pretty neglected when it comes to coat care.

Q: How many students are there in a class at one time?

A: Class sizes and ratios of students to dogs will differ from school to school. The ratios will depend on how many teachers and support workers there are available and how big the school or college is. We have small classrooms where learners are following an individual program so don’t have many at any one time. Some colleges have 25 students on a course.

Q: How many dogs will I actually groom on my course?

A: Each student generally grooms two dogs per day. That may be 44 dogs or 64 dogs depending on the course that is taken. Sometimes we will offer demonstrations to the students, this is a very rewarding learning process as the learners have time to discuss and ask questions as well as watch the techniques and the skills being carried out by a professional and viewing the whole groom from start to finish. We are professional groomers who run a professional grooming salon of over 28 years. Not only are we teaching our students the qualification syllabus, but also the tricks of the trade that we have learned over the years.

Q: Will I be supported after my course?

A: We offer a private Facebook group that our students can join after their course. On this group they can ask any questions, however silly they may seem, as well as putting pictures up of dogs they’ve groomed, and any difficulties they may have encountered. Our students know that they can come back and receive support and advice at any time in their grooming career as we’ve been in the grooming industry for over 30 years and have a wealth of experience from home grooming to running a busy salon.

Visit absolutelyanimals.biz for more information on their courses.